Summer means that this week’s schedule of things to see and do is packed, packed, packed! From late-afternoon drinks at a Vanier sugar shack and the Village People (yes, those Village People!) in Quebec City to a barbecue festival in Cornwall, a Caribbean festival in Montreal, an art show in Perth and this year’s sound-and-light show on Parliament Hill, there are more events than you can shake a bottle of sunscreen at. Enjoy!
Enjoy an Ottawa Valley musical in Rankin and beyond
Stone Fence Theatre launches its annual musical production this week, on Thursday, July 11, in Rankin (about halfway between Pembroke and Eganville). Up at Fred’s—Allons-y! is an original musical based on the life and times of Fred and Helen Meilleur, who ran the Hotel Chapeau in Chapeau, Quebec, for half a century. Stone Fence’s producer and musical director, Ish Theilheimer, spent two years developing the script and interest in the show has been intense. (From the show’s website: “It seems I can’t go anywhere locally without someone accosting me with their memories of great times at Fred’s,” [Theilheimer says.] “Somehow, that place came to represent all the things we love about the Ottawa Valley.”)
Since the hotel was famous for its food, all performances this year are dinner theatre productions, including a roast beef meal with all the trimmings. Most shows are in Rankin, but there will also be an August 8 show in Barry’s Bay and an August 10 show in Chapeau.
Laugh till it hurts in Montreal
Need a good giggle? The Just for Laughs Festival (July 10 to July 28) may be just the ticket. Comics on stage this year include Anthony Anderson, Michael Che, Wanda Sykes, Trevor Noah, Rachel Bloom and Fred Armisen.
Enjoy beer and appetizers at a sugar shack in Vanier
Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean you can’t still have fun at a sugar shack! The Museoparc in Vanier is hosting a 5 à 7 Beer and Bites event at its sugar shack on Thursday, July 11. You can sample three savoury dishes and a sweet one, along with beers from Dominion City Brewing.
Feast on barbecue in Cornwall or Peterborough
The Beer, Bourbon, BBQ and Blues Festival comes to the NAV Centre in Cornwall on Saturday, July 13. True to its name, it will be serving up lots of music (including Juno-wining MonkeyJunk), as well as all kinds of craft beer, wine, bourbon and cider.
A bit further afield, barbecue lovers will be heading to Millennium Park in Peterborough this weekend for the Kawartha Rotary Ribfest (July 12 to 14). Four rib vendors will be grilling racks for festival goers, who can also enjoy corn on the cob and funnel cakes. The free live entertainment starts at 11am on Friday and Saturday, and at noon on Sunday, and goes until late on Friday and Saturday.
Looking for more rib festivals? Check out my roundup of BBQ fests near and far.
Peek backstage in Kingston
Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of a community theatre production? Then check out The Dressing Room, a new play by Kingston playwright and theatre veteran Peggy Hallett. In this comedy with a multi-generational cast, the audience sees the backstage trials and tribulations as an enthusiastic troupe puts on various popular musicals. The Creative Engage Productions show runs from July 11 to 13 at Domino Theatre in Kingston.
Watch equestrian show jumpers in Nepean
From July 10 to July 21, Wesley Clover Parks in Nepean will be alive with the sounds of thundering hooves and cheering spectators during back-to-back equestrian events. The show-jumping action begins with the CSI2* Ottawa National Horse Show this week (July 10 to 14) and continues with the CSI3* Ottawa International Horse Show next week (July 17 to 21). Admission for spectators to both shows is by donation.
Applaud buskers in Alexandria Bay
Jugglers, acrobats and other performers will be taking to the streets of Alexandria Bay, New York, this weekend during the Buskers in the Bay festival (July 11 to 14).
Enjoy top-level tennis in Gatineau
High-ranking male and female tennis players from across Canada will be competing in the Gatineau National Bank Challenger tournament from July 15 to 21.
Browse for gems and fossils in Syracuse
Do you love fossils, gemstones and jewellery? Then you may just want to head south of the border for this weekend’s Syracuse Gem & Mineral, Fossil & Jewelry Show (July 12 to 14). Shop for treasures, learn about geology and gems at hourly presentations, and let the kids loose to try soapstone carving and other activities.
See Shakespeare outdoors in all sorts of places
This weekend marks the opening of the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival in Prescott (July 13 to August 17). The two main productions—The Winter’s Tale and Cyrano de Bergerac—will take place in a pretty outdoor amphitheatre on the shore of the St. Lawrence River.
From July 11 to August 11, Repercussion Theatre is staging Measure for Measure in a wide range of parks. Most are in the Montreal area, but there will be a show in Cornwall on Sunday, July 21. Admission is free but donations are welcome.
And Bear and Company is presenting Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in parks and other outdoor spaces across Ottawa (and beyond) until August 4. This week’s shows include performances in Old Ottawa South, Westboro, Sandy Hill, Britannia and Killaloe. The suggested donation is $20.
Catch a music festival in Saint-André-d’Argenteuil or Quebec City
All Day I Dream Of Aiming High – 2018 Official After Movie from Montreal AIM Festival on Vimeo.
A bit confusingly, the Montreal Electronic Music Festival (July 12 to 14) isn’t in Montreal at all. Conveniently for Ottawa music fans, it’s in Parc Carillon in Saint-André-d’Argenteuil, Quebec. That’s a short ferry ride across the Ottawa River from Pointe Fortune, on the Ontario–Quebec border. You can camp onsite—all the better for taking in the festival’s 32 hours of non-stop music.
Continuing until Sunday, July 14, is the huge Festival d’été de Québec, which brings scores of top acts to Quebec City each summer. You still have time to see Mariah Carey (July 11), Imagine Dragons (July 13) and Blink-182 (July 14), among many others. (Don’t forget to practise your “YMCA” dance moves in advance if you want to hit the Village People show on July 11.)
Catch a horror, SF or fantasy movie in Montreal
The Fantasia International Film Festival (July 11 to August 1) is a wide-ranging Montreal event that screens genre films from around the world, including science fiction, fantasy and horror movies. You might see a Hollywood blockbuster or you could discover an indie gem you’d never find at your local multiplex.
Enjoy volleyball and Hollerado at Mooney’s Bay
The world’s largest one-day volleyball tournament rolls onto Mooney’s Bay Beach in Ottawa on Saturday, July 13. The H.O.P.E. Volleyball SummerFest features volleyball games galore (natch), concerts by Hollerado, The Beaches, and Elijah Woods X Jamie Fine, and lots of other fun under the sun. Proceeds will support six charities.
See art in Aylmer or Almonte
The latest show at the Espace33 gallery in Aylmer features bright, bold paintings by local artist Beth Stewart. It runs until late July.
In Almonte, the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum is holding a vernissage for its latest show, Those of Us Still Living, on Saturday, July 13, from 2pm to 4pm. The exhibition features works by artist Jim Arendt, who creates pieces in denim that explore the lives of working people and how they intersect with changes in landscapes and technologies. The show runs from July 13 to September 14.
Celebrate world cultures in Belleville or Montreal
The 40th annual Belleville Waterfront and Multicultural Festival (July 11 to 14) features a midway, vendors, a children’s village, canine watersports shows, live music, buskers and the chance to sample cuisines from countries as diverse as Poland, Syria and Tibet. Admission is free.
Also this weekend, A Taste of the Caribbean in Montreal (July 11 to 14) gives you the chance to sample dishes and drinks from many tropical islands. There will also be a dance floor, kids activities and lots of music.
Take a theatrical ghost walk in Perth
Every summer in Perth, the Classic Theatre Festival presents a new ghost walk. These “walking plays” are original outdoor, interactive productions that take participants around Perth and illuminate some bit of local history. This year’s production, The Forgotten Ones, is set during the Depression. Featuring lots of 1930s music, it explores how people in Eastern Ontario coped during those hardscrabble days. It opened on June 26 and runs every morning from Wednesday through Sunday, as well as Thursday and Friday nights, until August 25.
Put on your dancing boots in Wendover, Renfrew or Notre-Dame-du-Laus
With line dancing, a comedy show, an arts and crafts market, a parade and more, the Wendover Western Festival (July 9 to 14) offers lots to do even if you wouldn’t know Toby Keith from Toby Maguire. But if you do know your country music, there are all sorts of shows to enjoy. Also this weekend, Renfrew’s Bluegrass Festival (July 11 to 14) brings bands from Ontario, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and elsewhere to Ma-te-way Park for four days of family-friendly fun and tunes. And on the western edge of the Laurentians, the Festival Country Notre-Dame-du-Laus (July 11 to 14) features more than 20 foot-stompin’ acts, mainly from Quebec.
Head to a fair in Odessa or Lachute
Can’t wait for fall to have fun at a country fair? This weekend, the Odessa Fair (July 12 to 14) offers a midway, a parade, a horse show, a tractor pull, concerts, a demolition derby, a beer garden, bingo and other fun. And Quebec’s oldest fair, the Expo Lachute Fair (July 11 to 14), features a monster truck show, a tractor pull, live music, kids’ activities, a midway and more.
Shop for vintage goodies in Picton
Fans of all things retro, take note: the Prince Edward Antique, Vintage and Retro Sale is on at the Prince Edward Curling Club in Picton from July 12 through 14. Dealers from across Ontario will be selling collectibles, jewellery, furniture and other cool stuff.
See the musical version of Grand Hotel in the Finger Lakes
If you love big musical spectacles, this sounds like a good bet: a musical version of the classic novel and Hollywood movie Grand Hotel, staged in a theatre-in-the-round playhouse on the shore of Owasco Lake in Auburn, New York (July 10 to 31). The show takes audiences back to the intrigue, drama and romance of a posh hotel in 1920s Berlin.
Hear classical music in the Laurentians
The Festival International Hautes-Laurentides (July 10 to 30) is presenting 10 free classical music concerts in locations across the Laurentians. Participating artists include Gregory Charles, the Orchestre Symphonique de Longeuil and Brigitte Boisjoli.
Enjoy a sound and light show on Parliament Hill
Northern Lights, the multimedia show projected onto the Centre Block on Parliament Hill, returns this week for its 2019 season (July 9 to September 8). In July, the show starts at 10pm. Admission is free. (The photo above comes from a previous sound and light show, but it gives you an idea of what you can expect.)
Browse for art in Perth, Renfrew, the Laurentians or the Eastern Townships
The Rideau Lakes Artists Association, a group of more than 100 artists from small towns and rural spots along the Rideau River system, is holding its annual art show and sale this weekend. Paint the Summer is taking place at the Perth campus of Algonquin College at 7 Craig Street on July 13 and 14, and the theme is “Celebrate the Summer.” Parking and admission are free.
Meanwhile, in Renfrew, Art in the Park (Saturday, July 13) will bring art fans and artists together under tents at Haramis Park. The family-friendly event showcases pieces made in a wide range of media.
Further afield, the Tour des Arts studio tour focuses on the Eastern Townships and showcases 36 creators. It runs daily from July 13 to 21. (If you love studio tours but can’t make it to these, here’s my newly updated roundup of 25+ studio tours within easy reach of Ottawa.)
Meet Napoleon in Cape Vincent
The French Festival in Cape Vincent, New York (July 12 and 14) celebrates the small waterfront town’s French heritage. As well as being founded by a Frenchman, the community almost became Napoleon’s retirement site, when locals hatched a plot to rescue France’s former leader from his exile on St. Helena. As a result, a Napoleon re-enactor is a prominent participant in the festival’s annual parade. Other highlights include craft vendors, kids’ activities, live music and fireworks. Here’s a fun 2016 Citizen piece about the festival by Peter Johansen. Cape Vincent is about two hours southwest of Ottawa, via the 1000 Islands Bridge. You can also get there via ferry from Kingston—take one ferry from Kingston to Wolfe Island, and the second from Wolfe Island right to Cape Vincent.
Want more tips on road trips from Ottawa—including info on hotel discounts, contests, festivals and other cool news? Subscribe to my free weekly e-newsletter! I will never spam you—promise.
Are you promoting an upcoming event you’d like to see in a future weekly road trip roundup? Please email me the details at least two weeks in advance of the event, and I’ll add them to my files. If you have a horizontal photo or two I could use, even better. Thanks!